BAD CALL

09.25.12

Obama Weighs in on NFL Controversy

Jewel Samad / AFP / GettyImages

As a diehard Chicago Bears fan, President Obama doesn’t usually defend rival Green Bay. But the last minute touchdown call that let the Seattle Seahawks eke out a 14–12 win against the Packers was too much for even the leader of the Free World to bear. The president weighed in on the referee controversy Tuesday, saying the call was “terrible” and telling reporters “I've been saying for months we've got to get our refs back.” The call he’s referring to of course is Monday night’s disputed decision: with just a few seconds left on the clock, game referees awarded Seattle a touchdown despite obvious pass interference. Regular officials have been locked out of the games since June when their contracts expired, and the NFL has been using replacement refs since.